The new book trailer forSmokescreen, my debut, published in 2013/2014. Thought I give it a fresh coat. Hope you like it. The novel is available at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords. You can start atAmazonor get it at the given links at my store.
Praise for Smokescreen
“Boundary-Breaking” Indie Reader (2016)
“A well written and totally absorbing political spy thriller” – Midwest Book Review
“Original and Bold Plotting” – The Examiner
“Authentic and Compelling”e-thriller.com
“An intriguing international thriller of conspiracy and espionage” – Crime Thriller Hound
“Bourne-like” – Times of Israel “A Must Read for 2014”- Digital Journal “Ample Adrenaline” – Millennium Post (India) “International, Realistic, and Above All Intense ” – Book to the Future “Extraordinary Thriller” – Expat Living Singapore
“Talib’s skill with settings was reminiscent of Barry Eisler’s fabulous John Rain series.” – Rabid Reader’s Review.
I’m currently working on a sequel because many of you have asked me for it. I can only hope the new story is as thrilling as the first by your standards. I don’t have a choice, do I? But I hope to bring something new to the sequel.
I’ll keep you posted, and if you want to stay in touch, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter.
So, I watched Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. This is a movie where you take a sip of the drink then decide to down the whole glass. I’ll definitely want to watch it again.
However, I don’t think this movie will be popular in Singapore. Moviegoers will watch it for the sake of watching because it’s Tarantino.
I dare to say what happened on 9, August 1969 in Cielo Drive L.A. is not known to 99.9 percent of the populace here. Charles Manson is not a familiar name even though the movie isn’t about him. If one doesn’t know who he is or what happened on that hot August night in summer, they’ll miss the point, I feel.
But if I were to remind the older generation of the songs by The Mamas and The Papas, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Neil Diamond, Los Bravos, I am certain it will rekindle memories of that time. They were still playing all those 60s songs back in the 70s here.
OTH is Tarantino’s fairy tale. It certainly feels like one. Maybe even an Ode.
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Twelve authors are participating in this promo. We will also be giving away two $10 gift cards to Amazon/B&N/iTunes.
Blake Deco, the man who rescued Hollywood movie star Goldie St. Helen abducted by drug lord has sold his screenplay, Gun Kiss, to a movie producer. We met up with him recently at his Sunset Boulevard restaurant, Mama Tacos, where he tells us how he is adjusting to his new world.
Reporter: Congratulations on selling your screenplay, Gun Kiss, to Hollywood. How does it make you feel?
Blake: Super, man. Never thought it could happen.
Reporter: It’s not your first attempt on writing a screenplay, is it?
Blake: I have a drawer of rejected works. As far as I’m concerned they are all good.
Reporter: So, how did you get lucky?
Blake: Lady luck was on my side.
Reporter: How does it feel being married to a world-famous movie star, Goldie St. Helen?
Blake [smiling]: She never acts when she’s with me.
Reporter: Why did you decide to write Gun Kiss?
Blake: The events almost cost us our lives. I felt compelled to write the story. You probably won’t believe me if I told you what we went through. Just wait until the movie comes out.
Reporter: What advice would you give aspiring screenwriters?
Blake: Don’t give up. Rest, take it slow, retreat if you have to, but don’t give up. It’s kinda like waiting for the big catch out at sea.
Reporter: You’ve worked with the F.B.I. and H.S.I. Ever thought about writing thriller novels based on your experiences?
Blake [chuckling]: Do I look like a recluse to you?
Reporter: Who do you see playing you and Goldie in the movie?
Blake: Oh, there are so many outstanding talents out there. I like Leonardo DiCaprio, but he’s old now. We need someone younger. They’ll show up, they always do. I’ll leave it to the casting director to decide who plays who.
Reporter: What are you up to these days?
Blake: I’m working on a new screenplay.
Reporter: Awesome. Can you share with us what new one is about?
Blake: It’s top secret.
Reporter [laughing]: I had to try, Blake. Any thoughts about the movie industry these days?
Blake: There are enough forward-thinking people in the industry to keep Hollywood alive.
Reporter: It’s a tough business, even for screenwriters. Think you’ll survive?
Blake: No fuel, no rocket.
Reporter: What draws you to the movie business?
Blake: Probably a gene thing I inherited from my parents. They both wrote for television.
Reporter: So, why do you still bother running a restaurant like Mama Tacos?
Blake: I like being here. I treat it as a recreation. Customers need not worry about food quality since I’m not the one who prepares the dishes. I’ve got an expert in the kitchen. Then again, what’s new about wearing many hats? Lots of stars owned restaurants and other business. Just do what you want, man. Whatever you think is right for you.
Reporter: Do you think your industry promotes sex and violence?
Blake: Which one?
Reporter: The movie business.
Blake: Hollywood didn’t exist during the Roman Empire. Have you read what those people used to do back then?
Reporter: Have you attended any Hollywood parties?
Blake: We have been invited to a few, but Mama Tacos demands a lot of my time, especially at night.
Reporter: What goes on at these parties?
Blake: Sometimes it’s just a private dinner, sometimes it’s loud. We don’t stay long enough to know what goes on past midnight.
Reporter: Your wife is richer than you. How do you feel about that?
Blake: We complement each other in many other ways.
Reporter: What do you most like in life?
Blake: Not hearing a gunshot.
Reporter: Any holiday plans with her soon?
Blake: Yeah, maybe we’ll go to Egypt. We’d like to see the pyramids.
Reporter: Thanks for your time, Blake. All the best with Gun Kiss.
Blake: Great chatting with you too. Oops, sorry, I forgot to offer you a drink. What would you like to have?
This is the revised book cover for the Spanish edition of Incognito. WCP published the English edition in 2017.
I wanted to do away with the run of the mill i.e. guns and stuff. Somehow, I felt something was missing in the previous cover. This one has more depth.
The Spanish edition is available on Amazon, Tolino B&N, Kobo. I expect the new cover will be updated shortly.
A relative came over with a box of meat pastry. It’s a recipe we learned from my grandmother who was born and raised in Indonesia.
When my domestic helper, who happens to be Indonesian, saw it, she kept saying “Risol.”
I wasn’t sure what she was talking about; I had expected her to describe the pastry using the same word as the Malays (being part of the archipelago), which is “Dadar.” And the way she pronounced Risol made it more difficult for me to understand her.
It took a while to realize what she was trying to say.
Rissole!
So I googled the word vis a vis Indonesia – and what do you know? It’s a common word over there.
How on earth did the word Rissole end up becoming part of the Indonesian language?
But of course… their Portuguese and Dutch heritage/history (16th/17th Century).
